World News | 2 Palestinians Killed During Funeral in Lebanon Refugee Camp

Beirut, Dec 12 (AP) At least two Palestinians were killed and several injured after gunfire broke out during the Sunday funeral of a Hamas member killed in a refugee camp days earlier, Lebanon's state news agency, Palestinian and Lebanese officials said.

The National News Agency said two were killed and seven were injured when what it described as an “altercation” broke out during the Hamas-organized funeral.

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The source of the gunfire was not immediately clear in the tense Burj Shamali camp, which was rocked by a series of explosions late Friday that killed the Hamas member. The cause of the explosions was also disputed. The Palestinian Hamas group said an electrical short-circuit in a storage area for oxygen bottles caused the blast.

But a Lebanese security official said the explosion happened in an ammunition depot. NNA had also reported an explosion in a Hamas arms warehouse in the camp, saying a number were killed and injured.

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Sunday's funeral for Hamza Chahine drew scores of mourners. Before his body arrived at the burial site, gunfire broke out and it was not immediately clear what caused it.

Lebanese security forces don't operate inside the refugee camps, where security is in the hands of Palestinian factions who often compete for clout.

A Lebanese security official said reports from the camp suggest clashes broke out between rival Palestinian factions during the funeral.

One Palestinian official said infiltrators used the occasion to shoot at the mourners. He said one of the injured is in critical condition. Another Palestinian official said during a 21-gun-salute for the deceased, errant shots killed two of the mourners. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Lebanon is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Many live in the 12 refugee camps that are scattered around the small Mediterranean country. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)